The Collaborative International Dictionary
Gird \Gird\ (g[~e]rd), v. t. [imp. & p. p. Girtor Girded; p. pr. & vb. n. Girding.] [OE. girden, gurden, AS. gyrdan; akin to OS. gurdian, D. gorden, OHG. gurten, G. g["u]rten, Icel. gyr[eth]a, Sw. gjorda, Dan. giorde, Goth. biga['i]rdan to begird, and prob. to E. yard an inclosure. Cf. Girth, n. & v., Girt, v. t.]
To encircle or bind with any flexible band.
To make fast, as clothing, by binding with a cord, girdle, bandage, etc.
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To surround; to encircle, or encompass.
That Nyseian isle, Girt with the River Triton.
--Milton. -
To clothe; to swathe; to invest.
I girded thee about with fine linen.
--Ezek. xvi. 10.The Son . . . appeared Girt with omnipotence.
--Milton. -
To prepare; to make ready; to equip; as, to gird one's self for a contest.
Thou hast girded me with strength.
--Ps. xviii. 39.To gird on, to put on; to fasten around or to one securely, like a girdle; as, to gird on armor or a sword.
Let not him that girdeth on his harness boast himself as he that putteth it off.
--1 Kings xx. 11.To gird up, to bind tightly with a girdle; to support and strengthen, as with a girdle.
He girded up his loins, and ran before Ahab.
--1 Kings xviii. 4 -
Gird up the loins of your mind.
--1 Pet. i. 13.Girt up; prepared or equipped, as for a journey or for work, in allusion to the ancient custom of gathering the long flowing garments into the girdle and tightening it before any exertion; hence, adjectively, eagerly or constantly active; strenuous; striving. ``A severer, more girt-up way of living.''
--J. C. Shairp.
Usage examples of "to gird on".
Hornblower ran below to gird on his sword and to take the better of his two cocked hats out of its tin case so as to make himself as presentable as possible when he went ashore to pay his official calls.
I come to tell you of a truly hellish thing and to bid you to gird on your armor and fight.
Having done this, he directed one of the ladies to gird on his sword, which she did with great self-possession and gravity, and not a little was required to prevent a burst of laughter at each stage of the ceremony.
When they had thrown down their great logs of wood over the whole ground, they stayed all of them where they were, but Achilles ordered his brave Myrmidons to gird on their armour, and to yoke each man his horses.